Midweek Quick Takes

After a short break during the lead up and aftermath of Hurricane Irma, Thinking Man is back with this edition of midweek quick takes. Thoughts and prayers continue to be with those suffering from the impacts of recent natural disasters, whether in Texas, Florida, from the earthquake in Mexico or in Puerto Rico and the Caribbean where the impacts of two hurricanes in two weeks have devastated the area.

Manning the Traitor Back in the News…With Harvard Honors

So what is the fascination that the far left, especially academics, have with anti-Americanism and with glorifying hate for this country?

Harvard University awarded a visiting fellowship at its Kennedy School of Government to Chelsea Manning. You remember Manning: the former US Army Private convicted of espionage and other felonies for stealing hundreds of thousands of highly classified documents. Then while serving time in prison, got the US taxpayer to pay tens of thousands of dollars for a sex change so that Bradley Manning could change to Chelsea Manning.

In Manning’s young life, there have been no accomplishments of academic note other than headlines for espionage. Manning has no college degree, much less any real world experience worthy of imparting to young minds entering Harvard. So why would Harvard honor someone who has accomplished nothing but being a traitor?! Harvard never answered that question but they later did rescind their offer to Manning.

Working Hard to Be Offended

We have become a society that works hard to be offended. In the latest effort to be offended by everything, one Texas woman has found a plant decoration offensive and went to social media to tell everyone.

Daniell Rider posted a picture of the below, a stalk of cotton in vase, to show why she was outraged. “A commodity which was gained at the expense of American-American slaves,” she wrote before telling the retailer (Hobby Lobby) that they should take it down.

Being a principled woman, presumably Rider does not sleep on cotton sheets, wear cotton clothes nor have cotton balls anywhere in her home because….that would be racist, right?

Russia and Elections

USA Today reported a study which identified 27 different countries where Russia actively interfered in the local elections over the last decade or so.

According to the study, Russia regularly interferes in the election process of other countries in an effort to further its foreign policy goals. And this is not something new, either. The Soviet Union actually gave money to the opponents of FDR when he was running in the 1930’s and ‘40’s.

So, as Thinking Man observed in a piece “The Bottom Line on Russian Hacking” on Jan. 18, there should be no question or surprise that Russia meddled in the US elections. It’s done so before, it will again and that is one of the reasons that Russia is an enemy—Russia opposes many of the things we prize and hold most dear, elections that reflect the will of the people being one of them. But to say that Russia interfered because they were so afraid of Hillary that they wanted to help defeat her has a very long way to go to be proven. The Bottom Line on Russian Hacking” going back to Jan. 18 , of course Russia tried to meddle in the US elections. And it has done so before and will do so again and that is one of the reasons they are an enemy, and oppose much of what we in the US hold dear. But to say that Russia interfered because they were so afraid of Hillary that they wanted to help defeat her is something that has a long way to go to be proved.The Bottom Line on Russian Hacking” going back to Jan. 18 , of course Russia tried to meddle in the US elections. And it has done so before and will do so again and that is one of the reasons they are an enemy, and oppose much of what we in the US hold dear. But to say that Russia interfered because they were so afraid of Hillary that they wanted to help defeat her, is something that has a long way to go to be proved.